OIC delegation to check peace gains in South

From the Manila Bulletin (May 31): OIC delegation to check peace gains in South

A delegation of ambassadors from 18 member-states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is scheduled to visit Southern Philippines on June 4 to monitor the progress and development” in the region as “part of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP).”

The visit is in relation with the presently stalled TRP of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) signed by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) about 17 years ago.

For their first visit, the OIC delegation, 18 ambassadors and one consular official, will be going to Barangay Sanga-Sanga and Barangay Pakias-Karundong, Tawi-Tawi, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said yesterday.

In July, the OIC delegation is scheduled to visit Maguindanao and North Cotabato, where peace-related projects have been implemented in conflict-affected areas.

OPAPP said they are coming “to monitor the progress and development in Mindanao as part of the Tripartite Review Process (TRP) relative to the implementation” of the FPA.

The June visit will be highlighted by site visits and project inspection in selected MNLF communities in Tawi-Tawi where the government implemented the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) projects.

Also part of their visit is a community interaction and dialogue with local government units (LGUs), MNLF senior leaders, religious sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to give the ambassadors a chance to hear out Mindanaoans.

It could be recalled that the pan-Islamic body convened the Tripartite Meeting about seven years ago in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, involving the GPH, the MNLF, and the OIC to review the FPA because of dispute in its implementation.

http://www.mb.com.ph/oic-delegation-to-check-peace-gains-in-south/